Symphony of Death
by Tek-Knight
Summary: In the aftermath of Rukia's capture, the Karakura gang train themselves to invade the Soul Society and rescue Rukia. Despite their intense preparation, Kisuke believes they need an edge if they're to deal with the might of the Soul Society and enlists the aid of a dangerous man who will be an advantage in the coming mission and potentially change the outcome of the war to come.
1. Chapter 1 - Rebirth

**"This ain't no place for no hero. This ain't no place for no better man." - Short Change Hero by the Heavy**

 **Disclaimer:** Do not own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo.

 **(10/22/2018)**

 **Many Thanks to RassenReaper for betaing!**

 **Chapter 1 - Rebirth**

* * *

 **Inside the Urahara Shop**

"Are you sure he's coming?"

Kisuke Urahara looked up from his cup of tea at his longtime friend, Yoruichi Shihōin. He let out a small chuckle before answering her. "I'm absolutely sure he's coming. I sent him a message saying to meet me at my shop around this time."

"And how long ago did you send this message?" she asked.

"About three days ago" he responded as he grabbed the kettle in front of him to serve himself and Yoruichi some tea. "It would've been sooner but he said he had some business to take care of in London before coming."

"Probably putting a bullet through someone's skull," Yoruichi uttered as she walked over to where Kisuke is and sat down across from him, to which Kisuke handed her a cup of tea.

"Not exactly" Kisuke replied before taking a sip of his tea and responding. "He mentioned something about meeting up with someone to talk in London."

"Can't imagine him having friends with the kind of work he does," Yoruichi muttered, which was heard by Kisuke. Kisuke figured he should probably break the tension somehow.

"We haven't spoken to him face to face in quite a while. I wonder what he's been up to since the last time we saw him?" Kisuke wondered out loud before focusing his attention on Yoruichi. "What do you think he's been up to Yoruichi?"

Yoruichi looked at Kisuke dangerously, who then proceeded to take out and open his fan to hide behind.

"Is there something you want to say Kisuke?" Yoruichi asked dangerously.

Kisuke proceeded to smile, still hiding behind his favorite fan. "Not at all Yoruichi! I have nothing to say!"

"Really now," Yoruichi insisted "Please! Speak your thoughts!"

Kisuke could already tell that the situation he put himself in could end dangerously. He thought talking about him a bit more would make it easier for her but he was wrong. The best he could hope for now was that this ends with Yoruichi not talking to him for about a month.

"Well if we're being honest here," Kisuke said, putting his words carefully "I'm just a bit curious of how we're all going to react to seeing each other again after so long."

"It's only been three years since we last him," Yoruichi stated.

"It's been three years since you last saw him," Kisuke corrected "And if I remember correctly, it didn't end very well."

Yoruichi let out a heavy sigh before taking a sip of her tea. "Can we not talk about it Kisuke? We're asking for his help in saving Rukia and the last thing we want is for him is to say no because of some petty argument we had years ago."

Kisuke closed his fan and gave his old friend a smile. "I know. I just want you to get any feelings you had for him out so that this rescue mission won't have any complications."

Yoruichi closed her eyes and took a deep breath, making sure to clear her thoughts of any anger that was surfacing.

Kisuke looked at Yoruichi and gave out a relieved sigh, glad that she was finally accepting the idea of him helping them in their mission. He still remembered trying to get Yoruichi to understand the reasoning of his decision. He explained that neither he nor Tessai could step into the Soul Society without setting off the alarms, and even if they managed to get pass their security, they would still have to deal with the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13.

And because of their wanted status, both he and Tessai would be killed on the spot, along with the kids. He thought about including the Visoreds but threw away the idea since it would also result in them being killed on the spot as well, and also because they didn't want to involve themselves with anything relating to the Soul Society or the Gotei 13. Knowing that the odds were not in their favor, Kisuke decided to call in a favor.

Or rather, asked Yoruichi to call in her favor.

When he asked Yoruichi to call in her favor, she went ballistic. He remembered Tessai trying to restrain her from beating him to a bloody pulp. After finally calming down, Yoruichi tried to convince him of not asking for his help. She told him that although they were heavily outmatched, they could still pull it off. However, Kisuke knew that Yoruichi was just coming up with any viable excuse possible to not include him.

He would be lying if he said that he wasn't confident in including him in this mission. But he knew that he was the right choice. Without him, the odds of this rescue mission succeeding with only Yoruichi and the kids are less than what he would've hoped for. With him included, the odds are closer in his favor and he would be adding a surprise variable that neither the Gotei 13 or Sōsuke would be prepared for. He was their wild card. Their secret weapon.

"Boss!" called out Tessai as he entered the shop in a hurry.

"What is it Tessai?" Kisuke asked as both he and Yoruichi stood up.

"He's here," said Tessai with a grim expression on his face.

Both Kisuke and Yoruichi looked at each other with uneasey expressions. Hopefully, this rescue mission would get less complicated than it already is.

* * *

 **Later; Outside the Urahara Shop**

Orihime Inoue felt ready! After ten days of hard training with Yoruichi, she and Sado felt prime and ready! She wasn't sure what Uryū did for training, but nonetheless, was sure that he was ready as well. She was, however, worried about Tatsuki. Ever since her loss against the Shinigami that took Rukia, she hadn't spoken much to her, or anyone else for that matter, only focusing on getting stronger.

She knew that everyone who was going to the Soul Society to rescue Rukia had to be strong and ready for this, but was worried that Tatsuki might be overdoing it. After finishing her ten days of training, she tried to go and see Tatsuki but found out that she was still training after gaining back her powers as a Shinigami.

"Everything alright?"

Startled, Orihime turned around to meet eyes with Chad, who she had just forgotten due to being so deep in her thoughts.

"Everything is alright Chad!" replied Orihime with a cheery attitude, causing Chad to sweatdrop.

"Please don't lie to us Inoue," called out Uryū Ishida, who was leaning against the side of the Urahara Shop.

"It's nothing Ishida!" Orihime responded back to Uryū, taken a bit aback from his bluntness, "I'm just worried about Tatsuki, is all."

Uryū noticed her expression turning from smiling to worried, feeling a bit guilty for calling her out on the spot. Based on the interactions that he had seen between them in school and outside, they were practically best friends, if not, sisters. And to know that your loved ones were risking their lives to save someone else, that must've been hard for her to deal with.

"I'm sure she's fine" he responded.

His response caused Orihime to smile again, albeit a small one, but a genuine smile nonetheless.

"What are you guys doing here!?"

Everyone who was present turned to their attention to the person who called them out.

"Tatsuki!" Orihime cried out as she bolted toward her best friend to engulf her in a big hug.

"Orihime! What are you doing here!?" she asked again as she attempted pry Orihime's arms off her.

After holding on to her for a few more seconds, Orihime finally let her go and answered her. "We're going with you to the Soul Society to save Rukia!"

"What?" said Tatsuki.

"Don't 'what' us Ms. Arisawa!" called out Uryū, "You heard what she said, we have unfinished business with those Shinigami that came and kidnapped Ms. Kuchiki! I'm certainly not letting them get away with this!"

Taken aback by his declaration, Tatsuki understood what Uryū was saying. She wasn't just going to save Rukia but she was also going to get payback from those Shinigami bastards.

She then glanced over at Chad, who was simply standing by the side and was just a couple of feet away from Uryū.

"What about you Chad?" she asked, "Why are you here?"

The giant teen looked straight at her and responded. "Rukia is my friend and she saved my life. I owe her."

Though it may have been a simple response, Tatsuki understood that Chad was here for the same reasons she was going. She was their friend and they had to go save her.

"I see everyone has arrived."

Everyone who was present turned towards the person who spoke, who was Yoruichi, in her cat form, who was in front of the entrance of the Urahara Shop.

"Yoruichi! You're here!" called out Orihime.

Yoruichi only gave Orihime a nod in acknowledging that she heard her as she focused on addressing the group of teenagers on the current situation.

"I hope that everyone who's here is aware of the situation that you're about to enter. I understand that you're nervous," stated Yoruichi "and if you want to back out, you can. There's no reason for any of you to risk your lives for a stranger you've only just met."

Although it was probably pointless for her to tell them this, Yoruichi needed to know whether or not these kids were ready to face the dangers that lie ahead. Because whether they know it or not, they might not come back from this.

"Really?"

Yoruichi glanced over to Tatsuki, who had an annoyed expression etched on her face.

"We came here because we want to save Rukia. We know the risks involved." Tatsuki stated, adopting a serious expression on her face, "She saved my life. Our lives. And no matter how many times she tells us no, we're dragging her back from the Soul Society and back to Karakura!"

Yoruichi's eyes locked with Tatsuki's. Her eyes were filled with conviction, a wildfire that was burning hot. That same conviction was in the eyes of everyone else around her. Part of her was happy that they were willing to go so far and beyond for someone they considered a friend even though they hadn't known Rukia long. She's glad to know there are still people like them out there in the world, willing to risk their lives for a dear friend. However, part of her was worried. This wasn't going to be a simple extraction. No, they were going up against the Gotei 13, not to mention the thirteen captains and lieutenants who lead them.

"Looks like everyone is here!" Kisuke said in a cheerful voice as he popped his head out from the side of the door.

"Mr. Urahara!" exclaimed Orihime.

"Glad that everyone is here," greeted Kisuke as he came out from the side of the door and stood tall at the entrance "If everyone is ready, let's go inside."

One by one, everyone except Yoruichi entered the shop as Kisuke gave them quick instructions to where the entrance to his secret training grounds was. Once he saw that everyone was gone from sight, he turned his attention back to Yoruichi with a serious expression.

"Where is he?" asked Yoruichi.

"He's down in the training grounds with Tessai," replied Kisuke "Tessai and I were just briefing him on the situation on what you and the kids are going up against."

"So he knows everything that's going on?" Yoruichi questioned.

"Not everything," Kisuke explained "I didn't tell him about the Hogyoku, though he does seem suspicious on why we're going through all this to save one person we barely know."

"You think that will be a problem?" Yoruichi asked, worry present in her voice.

"I don't think that will be an issue," he replied, "But I wouldn't put any hope for him to forget."

"All right then," Yoruichi said, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Kisuke simply nodded in agreement as both of them walked together inside the shop and into the secret training ground beneath the shop.

* * *

 **Beneath the Urahara Shop**

"Wow! It's so big!" exclaimed Orihime as she took her surrounding around her, admiring the huge room. "I never knew this place existed! It's amazing!"

"Thank you Ms. Inoue!" said Tessai, tears of joy streaming from his eyes "I'm touched that someone notices the hard work that's put into maintaining this training ground!"

Though not as vocal as their oranged-hair friend, both Chad and Uryū couldn't help but admire the detail that was put into making this vast room. Already having seen the place, Tatsuki wasn't too focused on admiring the training grounds but focused on the mission that was coming near.

She was ready for this. Ten days of life-or-death training to regain her Shinigami powers. After regaining her powers, she continued to train herself despite Kisuke's protests to rest. Not wanting her to be tired, Kisuke showed her the hot springs that would help rejuvenate her strength and stamina from all the training she has done up until yesterday. Today was the only time she got to rest, which she took advantage of. Now she was here, along with the rest of her friends, and they were going to rescue Rukia.

"If I can have everyone's attention!" exclaimed Kisuke as he and Yoruichi approached the small gathering. The young heroes turned their heads towards Kisuke, showing him that he had their undivided attention.

"As you already aware, this mission is to enter and rescue Ms. Kuchiki from the Soul Society," explained Kisuke, adopting a serious expression. "Everyone here has trained for the past ten days to not only awaken your power but to also become accustomed it as well. This will be important since you're most likely to run into Shinigami trying to stop you."

"You don't have to tell us what we already know!" said Tatsuki "We knew the risks in doing this mission and we're still going despite the odds!"

Kisuke looked at Tatsuki and the rest of the kids. Despite their differences, they were all ready to risk their lives and save Rukia. Not only that, but they would be making sure that what was inside Rukia stays far away from sinister hands. He knew it was a lot to entrust them with but he had Yoruichi with them in their mission. She would make sure they were focused on the mission and that not any lieutenants or captains get anywhere close to them, especially Aizen.

The first time that he and Aizen crossed paths was over 100 years ago when Aizen experimented on several high-ranking Shinigami officers, including his captain. Kisuke's intervention resulted in him, Tessai, and Yoruichi in being exiled from their home as criminals. That was the first time anyone has ever got the drop on him, not even his two close friends came close. Ever since then, he has made sure to stay ahead of everyone in every possible scenario, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. And this time would be no different.

"I'm glad that everyone is ready to go," said Kisuke "But despite your convictions, it won't be enough to stand against the might of the Soul Society, especially its fighters."

"But isn't that why we trained?" asked Orihime.

"That's true," replied Kisuke as he gestured Yoruichi to inform them. "Which is why Yoruichi will be going with you as well."

"I'll be making sure we stay on track in our mission to rescue Ms. Kuchiki," explained Yoruichi. "We don't want to run into any of the lieutenants or captains in the Soul Society. If we do, it will only draw more attention to us and we will be overwhelmed by their numbers and strength. However, I do know that there is a possibility of confronting either one, which is why you all trained."

"But didn't Kisuke say our training wouldn't be enough against the Shinigami?" questioned Chad.

"He meant against the captains" clarified Yoruichi "But against lieutenants and below, you'll be ready. If we happen to come across any captains, I'll deal with them. Any more questions?"

"I have one" spoke Uryū "How many of these lieutenants and captains are there?"

"Thirteen captains and thirteen lieutenants" answered Kisuke "Along with the high-ranking officers below the lieutenants."

"And you expect us to break in and out of the Soul Society with those kinds of odds?" questioned Tatsuki, not liking what she was hearing. Her response, however, was met with a small chuckle from Kisuke.

"You won't be alone." stated Kisuke "Not only will Yoruichi be making sure you stay on track with the mission, but you'll have someone else with you who'll keep the captains and lieutenants busy."

That last part seemed to get everyone's attention.

"Someone else is joining us?" asked Orihime. "Who?"

"That would be me!" answered someone behind her.

Orihime responded with a loud squeal as she immediately turned around to face whoever it was behind her. When she came to face to face with the individual, she didn't expect them to be...well…

"Wow" uttered Orihime.

The person standing in front of her was a guy with the same hair color as her, brown eyes, taller than her, pretty built from what she was able to guess since the guy was wearing black body armor. In fact, everything he wore was black. His pants, boots, the pouches around his waist, and his gloves. Other than his orange hair, what caught her attention were the weapons he was carrying. Two guns, one on each side of his waist, and what appeared to be small axes behind his back.

"Where did you even come from!?" exclaimed Uryū as he drew out his bow and aimed it at the stranger who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He wasn't the only who was ready to strike as he noticed Chad getting in a fighting stance and Tatsuki pointing her sword towards him as well.

"I was here the entire time" answered the stranger "I was just sitting at the side watching Kisuke give you guys the rundown of the mission."

That wasn't the answer that Uryū wanted. This man appeared seemingly out of nowhere like he just popped out of existence. He didn't sense anything coming out of him, not even his reiatsu.

"If everyone could just relax for a bit," said Kisuke "The man you see before you will be accompanying you on your mission to the Soul Society. He will provide you with muscle necessary to fight any of the lieutenants and captains."

"He's capable of taking on the captains and the lieutenants in the Soul Society?" questioned Uryū.

"He is" answered Yoruichi "which is why he's here."

Uryū didn't seem to believe what the cat was saying about the stranger. They had stressed about the captains and lieutenants being a problem but now have someone who could potentially take them on? And he wasn't the only one being skeptical. Tatsuki and Chad had their doubts as well. Orihime however…

"We have the same hair color!" said Orihime before extending her hand "My name's Orihime Inoue! It's nice to meet you!"

The stranger looked at her with an uncertain expression before smiling back and shaking her hand.

"It's nice to meet you Orihime." greeted the stranger. "I'll be your muscle for this little rescue mission of yours. Hopefully, I won't have to do much."

"And who are you exactly," asked Tatsuki as she approached the orange duo to make sure Orihime was fine, even if it was a simple handshake.

Before the stranger could reply, Yoruichi beat him to the punch and responded.

"He's an old acquaintance of ours," said Yoruichi "He's usually out traveling the world, making it hard to contact, but he happened to come by this week and we asked him if he could help us out."

This was met with an understanding look from both Chad and Orihime, though Tatsuki and Uryū seemed a bit skeptical, while the stranger had an amused expression on his face.

"We didn't get your name," said Uryū as he stared at the man carefully.

The man looked back at him and smiled as he then responded.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," he said as extended his hand toward Uryū.

The man known as Ichigo Kurosaki shook his hand before directing his attention to both Chad and Tatsuki. Chad seemed to be just as welcoming as Orihime in his own way, just saying 'hello' and his name after. Tatsuki, however, was a bit suspicious of him at first but set that aside when Orihime insisted on her being nice to him and introduce herself, which she reluctantly did.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, I would like brief everyone on how you are all going to the Soul Society." Kisuke addressed as motioned everyone who's going to come close to hear what he has to say. As each one of them walked to Urahara, the only ones left were Ichigo, Yoruichi, and Tessai.

"I'm going to prepare the Senkaimon in the meantime Yoruichi," Tessai said as he made his way to make the preparation necessary for the trip, leaving only Yoruichi and Ichigo left, with the company of awkward silence

"So," Ichigo spoke, breaking the silence "How have you been?"

Yoruichi merely glanced upward at the orange-haired man who was looking down at her with an amused expression on his face.

"I'm fine," Yoruichi replied plainly, "just making preparation for this rescue mission."

"Hmm," Ichigo uttered, "I would never think that Hat N' Clogs would send teenagers to rescue a Shinigami from one of the most dangerous realms in existence."

"We did not have many options to work with" Yoruichi explained, "Kisuke and Tessai couldn't go since it could raise the security on high alert which could get them captured and killed, which is why I'm going."

"And the Visoreds?" Ichigo asked.

"Kisuke insisted that they didn't want to help but I had him contact them and asked for their aid." Yoruichi answered "And as Kisuke expected, they refused. They want nothing to do with the Gotei or anything connected to the Soul Society."

"And that left me as your last resort for this mission." Ichigo assumed.

"That left you as Kisuke's last resort." Yoruichi clarified before giving him a vicious glare "I didn't want to include you in this rescue operation but Kisuke believes that you are our best option to go up against the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13."

"Which means that it was Kisuke who asked to call in your favor and not you?" Ichigo asked.

"I think I made myself very clear when I said I didn't want you here in the first place," Yoruichi said before she began walking over to where Kisuke was finishing his explanation of how the Senkaimon worked.

"I'm sorry about what happened that day."

Yoruichi stopped and turned around to see the man she didn't want present standing there with a sad smile in her direction. That stupid man was trying to apologize! How infuriating!

"Can we not do this right now," Yoruichi asked tiredly, not wanting this development to turn into a drama, "we have important matters to attend to."

Thankfully, he seemed to have gotten the message and made his way to Kisuke and the group. He rushed a bit until he was walking side by side with Yoruichi and returned to walking normally.

Knowing that he was walking by her side, Yoruichi felt a bit uneasy, a feeling that she has only felt from two people in her life. Nevertheless, Yoruichi had to set aside those feelings for what lie up ahead. The mission.

* * *

 **Soul Society, Unknown Location**

"It seems that everything is going according to your plan captain Aizen," Gin said as he proceeded to sit down next to the hidden master strategist of the Soul Society, who seemed to be watching the monitors in front of him. He appeared to be watching a replay of the spiky-haired girl confronting lieutenant Abarai and captain Kuchiki when they were sent to retrieve Rukia.

"I wouldn't say exactly as planned" the bespectacled captain answered as he proceeded to pause the video, right at the moment when captain Kuchiki proceeded to cut the girl down and turned his attention toward his fellow captain. "Despite her rapid progress in becoming accustomed to her newfound abilities, I find her very dull."

The sly captain seemed to be a bit surprised by captain Aizen's mood. He appeared to sound very disappointed, something he usually doesn't voice out.

"Something wrong Gin?" Aizen asked as proceeded to open another video showing him the sight of his main base of operations.

"Oh, nothing captain Aizen!" Gin responded, making sure his voice wasn't off, "I was just wondering why you find the girl to be boring?"

His response seemed to amuse him, judging by the expression on his face. He couldn't tell if that was a good thing or bad thing.

"If I'm being honest, it's just that I hoped her transition from human to Shinigami would've been more interesting, especially now that Kisuke is involved," explained Aizen, switching the video to check each of his officers. "But so far, nothing of interest has happened aside from the development of those around her."

"Are you referring to those two humans?" asked Gin.

Aizen smiled before answering him. "Though a bit slow on their transition, I find those two the most interesting of the bunch. The Quincy is also fascinating to watch but I doubt there's anything that might surprise me from him. The same goes for everyone."

"They are preparing to invade the Soul Society," Gin explained, "Maybe they'll show us some hidden power they have saved just for such an occasion."

"Perhaps," Aizen said, considering the possibility "I should keep an open mind and hope for growth for my little side project."

"Speaking of keeping an open mind" Aizen glanced over at Gin, who had a mischievous expression etched on his face, "Kaname says he has discovered something interesting in the Negal Ruins."

This seemed to get the good captain's attention as he proceeded to close the video feeds he was watching and direct his attention to Gin.

"What did he find?" Aizen asked.

"Apparently, he found a colony of Hollows who have been hiding from us," Gin explained "Deeming the colony as of no use to us, Kaname proceeded to exterminate them all. After exterminating them, he came across something interesting. He guessed that it was their most interesting object in their possession and their reason for hiding."

"I'm assuming it's an object they revered of great importance." Aizen guessed, most likely correct in his guess.

"See for yourself," Gin said as he handed him a small electronic tablet he took out from his haori which contained the report of Kaname's finding.

Aizen took the report from Gin as looked over the report. He scrolled down and down, reading Kaname's report quickly until he found the part which talked of Kaname's discovery. He read the section carefully and slowly as his expression went from curious to intrigued as he continued to read until he stopped at where it said what Kaname discovered. His eyes widened, ever so briefly, till he quickly realized that he wasn't alone and simply smiled, ever so pleased.

"I take it that you find Kaname's discovery to be above your expectations?" Gin asked, though he already knew the answer.

Aizen's smile grew only slightly bigger, trying to not allow this discovery to get to him. This was a game changer, even if it was only one from the set.

"I would like it if you would kindly leave the room please" ordered Aizen "I would like to have a few minutes alone with my thoughts."

"Understood captain Aizen" Gin replied as he made his out of the room.

Making sure that he was gone and that he couldn't sense his reiatsu, he quickly opened a tab in the tablet and typed in the following to send.

 **[Acquired one of the artifacts regarding Operation Lucky Seven in Hueco Mundo. Requesting a gathering of the seven to discuss future developments in our plans.]**

Finishing his message, he pressed **[Send]** , sending his message to his associates informing them of the new development. Not even a minute passed and his tablet already gets a notification from the others.

 **[Wonderful news Lord Sōsuke.]**

 **[Happy fucking days!]**

 **[How soon do you want the gathering?]**

 **[So only three left.]**

 **[One step closer to the heavens.]**

 **[Excellent. How soon do you want this gathering?]**

Aizen simply smiled. He would never admit it but a plan goes better when you have others, just as ambitious as him, working together to reach their own goals.

* * *

 **A/N** : Anyone knows a good beta reader? Would really like someone to beta read this. Anyway, a different approach to the Bleach universe. Review on what you think!


	2. Chapter 2 - City of Lost Souls

**Disclaimer** : Do not own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo.

 **Chapter 2 - City of Lost Souls**

 **(11/01/2018)**

It is said by Shinigami that when konsō is performed on the wandering deceased souls of the World of the Living, they will either go Hell for the bad deeds they have done or come to the Soul Society and live peaceful lives for the good they have done. However, what Shinigami fail to mention is that when is performed konsō, they are randomly transported to somewhere in the Rukongai. The majority of the time, most souls will end up in one of the nicer districts between District One and District Twenty-Five while the others would end up in the lower districts having to fend off for themselves or die and reincarnate back into the World of the Living.

Right now, in District One, one can see the happy expressions on the deceased. To them, they are living good lives after death. To them it is heaven. The children playing, men and women conversing, and the elderly simply resting peacefully in their small homes like any other day in the Soul Society.

Unfortunately, today wasn't going to be one of the days.

The sounds of explosion coming from the skies above caused panic amongst the resident of District One as they hurried inside their homes.

"Everyone get inside!"

"Momma what's happening!?"

"Take the children and elderly inside quickly!"

"Is it Hollows attacking!"

The Soul Society has now been invaded!

* * *

 **Moments Ago**

"We are now inside the Dangai everyone!" Yoruichi called out to everyone behind her. "Let's get a move on!"

In awe of the ghastly appearance that is the Dangai, all except Yoruichi and Ichigo returned to their senses and started to run towards whatever was ahead of them. Running in the Dangai felt never ending as the walls around them seemed to ooze without end and the darkness that was in place.

"Are we there yet?" Tatsuki called out from as she was running, with Yoruichi and Ichigo running in front of her, Orihime to her right, and Chad running to her left carrying Uryū due to almost getting sucked in the walls because of his small cape.

"We're almost there! Just keep running!" Yoruichi exclaimed as she kept running.

Yoruichi and everyone kept running and running as fast as they can to reach the exist that has not been spotted yet. As they kept running, the dark pathway started to become less darker and and more and more light seemed to be present every passing second.

"Something is coming from behind!" Uryu called out from the back.

Yoruichi glanced from behind to see what the boy was talking and was immediately regretting that she did.

"Shit! It's the Kōtotsu!"

"The what!?" she didn't turned to focus who it was that asked but guessed it was Tatsuki.

"A cleaner that appears once every seven days!" Yoruichi exclaimed as she picked up the pace, along with everyone else behind.

"Not the worst chase I've experienced but definitely an interesting one!" Ichigo yelled, running alongside Yoruichi with everyone else behind.

"Can everyone please shut up and focus on running!" yelled Yoruichi "We are being chased by a damn cleaner that can crush us to death!"

"Want me to do something about it?" Ichigo asked.

There was a moment of hesitation that passed in Yoruichi's eyes. The logical response should have been to say yes. He was more than capable of handling, even stopping, the Kōtotsu without endangering everyone else. She knew he had the tools necessary to deal with circumstances such as these. It's why Kisuke asked for his help!

However…

"Don't make contact with the Kōtotsu or you'll doom us all!" Yoruichi responded as she kept focusing on the exit ahead that was beginning to get bigger as they got closer and closer.

Unfortunately, her message didn't reach everyone.

"Santen Kesshun! I reject!" Orihime shouted as a glowing, orange barrier was produced and stood facing the giant cleaner that was coming closer and closer to them.

"Orihime! Put down the barrier before-" was all that was said before the cleaner came into contact with barrier.

 **BOOM!**

Everyone running was caught in the explosion caused from the Kōtotsu's contact with the barrier and blasted out of the Dangai toward the exit. One minute they were running, and the next thing you know, they were blasted out of the Dangai and out into who knows where! There moment of panic was short lived as everyone soon came into contact the with the ground, now to the present time.

The sounds painful groaning and moaning can be heard as the dust made from the explosion started to clear up.

"Is everyone okay?" Ichigo groaned out as he picked himself up and shaked off the feeling of pain from having been launched out of the Dangai and into the ground. He was met with responses of groans and a 'fuck you' from Yoruichi.

"That was fun!" Orihime exclaimed cheerfully, being the only one who seemed unscathed by what happen. Unfortunately, this expression earned Orihime a headbutt to the face from Yoruichi.

"Did you not hear what I said!?" Yoruichi yelled "Do not make contact with the cleaner or anything in the Dangai else you get sucked in and trapped!"

"I'm sorry Yoruichi!" Orihime said "I was only trying to help!"

"Cut her some slack will ya," intervening Ichigo before Yoruichi could say anything else to Orihime "She did just save our lives, yours included!"

"Are you blaming me for this!" Yoruichi exclaimed, forgetting about Orihime and focusing on the infuriating man infront of her.

"I'm not blaming you for anything!" Ichigo retorted back at the feline, already jumping to conclusions with him "Though if you didn't want the girl endangering us, you could have let me handle the creepy-looking bullet train rather than telling me not to!"

"Really!" Yoruichi not buying what he was saying "And pray tell what did you have in your bag of goodies that could have stopped the damn cleaner from crushing us!"

"Time Bubbles." was Ichigo's only response to Yoruichi.

"You don't know that!" Yoruichi replied heatedly, glaring at the orange-haired man "For all we know, the consequences could have been much worse!"

"Bullshit and you know it!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Umm..guys?" Tatsuki called out.

"From what Kisuke told me about the Kōtotsu, the damage is only serious when it comes into contact with any form of reiryoku! The energy that's stored in my Time Bubbles aren't reiryoku!" Ichigo stated.

"Don't you dare get smart with me! We both know that it's only a theory from Kisuke!" Yoruichi countered.

"Guys?"

"I thought you trusted Kisuke!? No wonder he asked me to come along if you're going to start second guessing every step of the plan!"

"So I should be more like you!? Following orders? Become a ruthless killer like you!"

"Guys!"

"Coming from a former commander who specializes in assassination and trained an entire squadron of would-be assassins!? That's just fucking perfect!"

"Do you wanna throw down!? I have no problem in kicking your stupid ass to the fucking ground just to teach you a lesson in humility!"

"GUYS!"

"WHAT!" Both Yoruichi and Ichigo turning their attention toward the spiky-haired girl.

"Where the hell are we!?" While most would coward at the glare coming from those two, Tatsuki wasn't going to have any of that bullshit. Yoruichi and Ichigo took a moment to calm down before checking out their surroundings.

"I'm guessing this is the Soul Society?" Ichigo turned to Yoruichi for answer.

"Yes it is," Yoruichi answered, calming herself down and focusing back on the mission in hand. "To be more precise, we are in the Rukongai, a place where the souls of the Living World get transported to when their time is over."

The rest of the group looked at their surroundings. This is where they might go when they die back home. The old wooden houses that would be possibly be their homes once they die and the people that they've once encountered back in the Living World will be here when they die.

Speaking of people…

"Where is everyone?" Uryu asked as he noticed the distinct lack of residents around them.

"There most likely hiding due to the commotion that we have caused," Yoruichi answered "They must have assumed that we are either Hollows or invaders coming to attack."

"Hey Yoruichi!" The black cat turned her attention to Tatsuki, "How come those buildings over there look nicer than the ones around us?"

"Those buildings over there are were the Shinigami live" Yoruichi answered "home to the Gotei 13, compromised of the strongest Shinigami in the history of the Soul Society."

Alas, her warning had the opposite effect on the spiky-haired teenager.

"If that's where those Shinigami bastards live then it's time to kick some ass!" Tatsuki yelled as she sprinted towards where the Shinigami lived.

"You fool! Turn back now or you'll get yourself killed!" shouted Yoruichi.

Just as Tatsuki was going to turn around and ask what she meant, giant walls came crashing down from the sky and forming a wall surrounding the home of the Shinigami.

"GAHHHH!" Tatsuki screamed as we just one foot away from being crushed by the falling walls and the clouds of dirt created from the impact.

"It's been awhile since someone has tried to come through my gate without permission."

Once Tatsuki managed to get sense reigned in, she noticed a giant shadow covering her. She looked up and could not help but gaze in awe of the giant behemoth standing before her.

"I am the gatekeeper of the White Road Gate; Jidanbō Ikkanzaka!" the behemoth introduced himself loud and proud.

Quickly getting over the sight of the giant, Tatsuki readied herself, grasping her Zanpakutō hanging on her waist for the inevitable battle to come.

"Excuse me!"

Both Tatsuki and the giant turned their attention towards the orange-haired man casually walking towards the two as if nothing was wrong.

"Can I help you stranger?" asked the giant gatekeeper.

"Actually you can," Ichigo responded "You see, this Shinigami here told me that I can't go over there because that's where the Shinigami live. That made me curious as to why and now I get the idea."

The gatekeeper had an unsure expression, not sure if the boy was telling the true.

"Is he telling the truth Shinigami?" Tatsuki turned her attention towards the giant. She wasn't sure if it was good idea to lie or to tell the truth and fight. Personally, she thought that she could take the giant but the orange-haired man seems to have a better plan if he lied. If that's the case, she decided to play along.

"Yes! I told this moron not to go there but he wouldn't listen to me!" Tatsuki answered.

Jidanbo looked at both the girl and the boy suspiciously. This was an odd encounter for him. Granted, in his 300 years of service as gatekeeper, he has encountered situations such as these so it wasn't exactly off but it was still interesting to see.

"What about the group behind you Shinigami?" Jidanbo asked.

"They came here with me." Tatsuki answered, unsure if her response was the right one.

Jidanbo analyzed the group far behind the Shinigami. There appeared to be two males, one giant dark-skinned individual and the other scrawny and a bit pale, a female, a pretty one he thought, and a black cat.

"Interesting bunch you have there." commented Jidanbo before directing his attention back to the two in front.

"You are an odd Shinigami," said Jidanbo "Did you just graduate from the Shin'ō Academy?"

"Uhh...yeah" Tatsuki replied nervously "Just graduated and ready to fight Hollows!"

Her answered seemed to have amused the giant as he let out a chuckle.

"Don't act so nervous young one," Jidanbo advised "Granted it's your first day on the job but you shouldn't be tense. A Shinigami's duty is to protect the souls of the living and dead from Hollows but to also set an example for the other souls."

"Right!" replied Tatsuki.

"That's good!" Jidanbo said "I'm happy to see fresh recruits ready to serve and protect the Soul Society!"

Though lying, she couldn't help but smile back at the giant. He wasn't so bad as she thought he was going to be. Kind of reminded her of Chad. Her train of thought was soon interrupted when she heard the sounds of loud grunting and the small tremors that briefly occured.

She turned her attention to Jidanbo, who appeared to be lifting the gates with his bare hands.

"What are you doing?" Tatsuki asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" replied the giant "I'm opening the gate to let you in!"

It was this moment that Ichigo decided to intervene.

"Actually," called out Ichigo, grabbing both Jidanbo's and Tatsuki's, along with those in the back, attention "She kind of promised to show us around the Rukongai since me and my friends just died. Is that okay?"

The giant looked at the orange-haired man for a bit till he turned his attention to the girl standing next to confirm if what he said is true.

"I just want to make sure they know what to expect here at the Soul Society and to also inform them of the laws!" Tatsuki replied a bit nervously.

The giant nodded in reply as he proceeded to let go of the gate, letting it slam back at the ground, creating a bit of a tremor and dust clouds.

"When your finished showing them around," said Jidanbo "Come back so I could let you in."

Tatsuki nodded as she turned around headed back towards the group along with Ichigo.

"What the f-"

"Let's talk someplace us where we aren't so close to the thousands of Shinigami on the other side of the gate okay." Ichigo said as he motioned the girl to hurry in order to catch up with the rest of the group. Once they reached the group, Ichigo motioned them to follow him, telling them the same thing he told Tatsuki so they can talk privately elsewhere.

After much walking and out of the clear from the giant's sight, Ichigo guided them inside one of the wooden houses, after he made sure it was empty, and told them to stay here while he makes sure the area is secure. Minutes pass as it feels like they have been waiting for hours for the guy to return.

"When is he coming back?" asked Uryū, leaning against the wall of the wooden house.

"He should be about done scouring the area for anything or anyone watching," Yoruichi replied before directing her attention to Tatsuki "In the meantime, why don't we talk about the dumb decision that Tatsuki almost made today!"

"Shit" muttered Tatsuki. She had a feeling that she was going to get chewed out for this by the cat but she kind of hoped that it would have been forgotten.

"What were you thinking in engaging Jidanbo!? You could have gotten yourself killed!" said Yoruichi.

"I thought I could take the big guy." Tatsuki answered

"Really?" asked Yoruichi "And then what? What do you do after you beat Jidanbo?"

There was no response to Yoruichi's last question. Tatsuki knew at this point where she fucked up and that there was no right answer to the cat's question. If she beat Jidanbo, then he wouldn't be able to open the gate, and even if he was willing to open the gate, they would only be met by the Shinigami that would have been waiting for them in the otherside.

"I would have fucked up" Tatsuki concluded.

"Yes, you would have" Yoruichi said before deciding it was best to change the subject "But now that we are here, let's discuss our next move okay."

Yoruichi motioned everyone to gather around as begun to lay down the next course of action.

"As of right now, we are in the first District of the west side of the Rukongai" Yoruichi explained "Our first step will be for me to find one of my contacts here in the Rukongai. Once I locate them, I need to get them to send a message inside the Seireitei. I know someone who will be able to help us get inside undetected."

"I have a question!" called out Orihime, having her hand raised.

"What is it?" asked Yoruichi, a bit amused that the girl had her hand raised as if she was in school asking the teacher a question.

"What's your relation to Ichigo" Orihime asked with a curious expression on her face.

Yoruichi looked at Orihime annoyingly before noticing the curious expression on the other teens' faces. The little outburst between the two earlier did give them idea that there was something going on between the two than just two people having different opinions on a mission. Unfortunately, that was the case.

"He is someone that I have worked with in the past," answered Yoruichi "I did him a favor in an important job he did and he is simply repaying the favor back."

Before anyone of the high schoolers could ask to elaborate further on the relation between the two, the sound of knocking grabbed was heard outside the wooden house they were staying. Everyone turned their attention to who it was, revealing the orange-haired man they were just asking about standing in front of the doorway.

"What you are guys talking about?" asked Ichigo as entered the building.

"We were just talking about our next move." Yoruichi quickly answered, not wanting anyone else, especially Orihime, to ask more questions about their past. "We are going to one of my contacts in the West Rukongai and ask them to send a message inside the Seireitei."

"You know someone inside?" asked Ichigo, mildly surprised about this.

"I do," Yoruichi answered "She has been a close friend of mine for a long time. I'm certain that she'll give us the edge needed for this rescue mission to succeed."

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Ichigo asked.

"We go look for the elder in this district" Yoruichi answered "The elder will know where my contact to the Seireitei is."

"Then let's get moving!" Ichigo announced, motioning everyone to move out of the residence. One by one, they all left the building until it was Yoruichi being the last to leave. Just as she was about to exit outside, a boot appeared between her and outside. She looked up to see Kurosaki kneeling down beside her to be at her "eye" level.

"I'm sorry for what happened earlier." said Ichigo.

Yoruichi's expression seemed tense a bit when he apologized. They both knew it was a bit of her fault since she jumped to conclusions in thinking that she was blaming him for the Dangai incident. She knew he had the means that would have helped them inside the Dangai. She was getting personal in this mission.

"It's alright" replied Yoruichi "I should have kept a cooler head."

"Let's try and keep our personal feelings out of the mission" Ichigo advised "I don't think you want to endanger those kids with our problems, much less know about them."

Yoruichi nodded in response as both herself and Ichigo exited the residence and left to go search for their person of interest.

* * *

 **Meanwhile; Seireitei, Soul Society**

"I can't believe this actually happening." spoke lazily the flower-kimono wearing, captain of the Eight Division; Shunsui Kyōraku, as he made his way to the captains meeting that was being called for.

"This is an important matter." said the white-haired, sickly captain of the Thirteen Division; Jūshirō Ukitake, "I'm sure that after the meeting is done you can go back and take a nap. I'll even ask your lieutenant to not disturb you."

Shunsui smiled in response as they both finally arrived to the First Division barracks where the captains meeting was being held. Upon arriving, they saw one of their fellow captains waiting outside.

"Captain Aizen! It's good to see you!" greeted Shunsui, waving at the mild-mannered, bespectacled captain of the Fifth Division.

"Greetings captain Kyōraku and captain Ukitake!" responded Aizen with a smile to his colleagues.

"How have you been Sōsuke?" asked Ukitake as he and Kyōraku arrived at the entrance at where the captain's meeting was about to be held.

"I've been good captain Ukitake." responded Aizen.

"Why are you waiting outside?" asked Kyōraku "Don't tell me that the old man is in a bad mood?"

"The Captain-Commander is not in a bad mood," Aizen assured Kyōraku "I just want to make sure that my colleagues make the meeting on time."

"Are we the last ones to arrive?" asked Kyōraku.

"No, only the captains from the Third, Tenth, and Eleventh Divisions aren't here yet." replied Aizen.

"It's better if we just go in already," said Ukitake "I'm sure the rest will arrive shortly."

Aizen nodded in response as all three captains proceeded to go inside the First Division barracks. Upon entering, they were greeted with the sight of their fellow captains lined up vertically on both sides with the Captain-Commander between at the center end. On Yamamoto's right stood the petite captain of the Second Division, as well as the commander of the Onmitsukidō, Suì-Fēng. Next to the petite captain stood one of the most beautiful Shinigami in the Soul Society, captain of the Fourth Division Retsu Unohana. Then there's the stoic captain of the Sixth Division, and the head of one of the Great Noble Clans in the Soul Society, Byakuya Kuchiki. Skipping two spaces, you have the last captain on the right side, the madman of the bunch, captain of the Twelfth Division and the current president of the Shinigami Research & Development, Mayuri Kurotsuchi. On Yamamoto's left, stood the tallest of them all, the armored captain of the Seventh Division, Sajin Komamura. Next to the giant stood the dark-skinned, blind captain of the Ninth Division, Kaname Tōsen.

"I see you have decided to come in Captain Aizen" spoke the sage Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

"Forgive me Captain-Commander," said Aizen, bowing his head in apology "I merely wanted to make sure that all captains were present for this important meeting."

The Captain-Commander merely gave brief nod in response before motioning the three captains to take their place for the meeting about to begin. Aizen moved to stand next to Sajin's unoccupied side while Ukitake moved to stand on the left side, opposite of Mayuri, and Kyōraku moved to stand next to Kuchiki's side.

"How long do we have to stand and wait for the others to arrive?" asked Tōsen "It is disrespectful to make the Captain-Commander wait."

"I'm sure that our fellow captains will arrive shortly," assured Unohana "You know how Kenpachi always gets lost coming to these meetings. As for the other two-"

Right when she was about to mention the last two, the doors to the meeting hall were kicked open. Everyone minus the Captain-Commander turned their heads or glanced at the source of the commotion. Standing at the entrance was the sly, trickster captain of the Third Division, Gin Ichimaru, along with the battle-hungry, sword-loving captain of the Eleventh Division, Kenpachi Zaraki.

"Sorry the delay everyone," Gin said as both he and Kenpachi took their places with their fellow captains in line "I stopped to chat on the way and I simply lost track of time."

Many of his fellow captains gave him a disapproval look, not liking that he wasn't taking his duty as captain seriously.

"What about you Zaraki?" asked Kyōraku "Did you get lost on your way?"

"Yeah I did." responded Zaraki, who appeared to be bored.

"So the only who's left is the captain of the Tenth Division?" asked Gin.

"This is insulting!" exclaimed Suì-Fēng "That man should be setting an example for others because of his position but instead lounges around like Kyōraku and leaves all his work for his lieutenant and 3rd Seat Officer to do!"

"Hey! Why you go insulting me!" said Kyōraku.

"That's enough from both you," said the Captain-Commander calmly "He's already here."

Before any of them could ask what he meant, the sound of the meeting hall's door opening caught everyone's attention. Standing at the entrance was the lazy, carefree captain of the Tenth Division and head of one of the Great Noble Clans in the Soul Society, Isshin Shiba.

"You're late captain Shiba." said Yamamoto.

"Sorry old man!" said Isshin "Kind of got sidetracked on the way."

Yamamoto simply gruffed in response before telling to get in line with the other captains so he could finally start the meeting.

"This meeting will now commence!" announced Yamamoto, slamming his cane to the ground to signify the start.

"Captain Suì-Fēng report what you have found!"

The captain of the Second Division nodded as she stepped up front and begun to deliver her report.

"About three hours ago, you've all received the alarm that there was a breach in the Soul Society. My men spotted several Ryokas at the White Road Gate and were sent to investigate. Once they spotted the Ryoka, they were given orders to neutralize them and bring them back to me for interrogation." explained Suì-Fēng.

"I'm assuming that it didn't go as planned." guessed Kyōraku.

Suì-Fēng nodded before continuing her explanation. "When my men spotted the Ryoka, they were told to assess the situation, whether they were a threat or not, to which would be the best course of action in capturing them. After watching and waiting, men reported that they two of the Ryoka were simply conversing with the gatekeeper before ending their conversation and leaving, giving my men the opportunity to capture them."

"And what happened captain Suì-Fēng?" asked Komamura.

"All my men that were sent were neutralized." replied the petite captain.

This seemed to get some reaction from all the captains present minus the old man, who had already read the report delivered by the captain.

"They were all killed!?" exclaimed Isshin.

"Not killed," clarified Suì-Fēng "They were knocked out cold and scattered across the West Rukongai. I have my lieutenant looking for them in order to get an assessment of what happen. But it doesn't end there."

The other captains wondered what she meant before motioning the captain of the Twelfth Division to explain.

"As most of you don't know, I have several surveillance bugs all over the Rukongai to monitor the residents of the Rukongai, to see if anything catches my interest." explained Kurotsuchi.

"Did something happen to your surveillance?" asked Ukitake.

"I am about to get there so please do not interrupt" responded Kurotsuchi before continuing "As I was saying, I have surveillance all across the Rukongai. So when Captain Suì-Fēng approached me to locate the Ryoka, I was more than willing to help. But as I was about access the records of surveillance in the lower districts of the West Rukongai, they were all terminated."

And like Suì-Fēng's report on her men being neutralized, they were equally surprised.

"When this occurred, I decided to send more of my surveillance bugs as a means to get a perimeter of the area of where the individual responsible destroying my bugs is hiding but they proved to be more cunning than I've anticipated."

"Meaning?" asked Aizen.

"It seems that whenever I send my bugs near the West Rukongai, they malfunction and stop working entirely."

"How are they being jammed?" asked Unohana.

"The manner of it being done must come from technology designed to interfere with surveillance, but the fact that it's able to jam my technology is very impressive." responded Kurotsuchi.

"This suggests a high level of preparedness from the Ryoka" added Suì-Fēng "While we don't know their motives on being here, it is best that we send out search parties in the upper districts of the West Rukongai to find them and bring them back for interrogation."

"How do you know if they are still in the lower districts of the West Rukongai?" asked Tōsen "It is possible for them to have moved up to the upper districts or moved to one of the other parts of the Rukongai."

"My men were able to get sketches of only two of the Ryoka. We're working on getting sketches for the others." responded Suì-Fēng as she produced to papers from her haori with rough sketches of the two Ryoka. One paper had the sketch of a young woman with spiky black hair while the other was a young man with spiky orange hair.

As each of the captains took a moment to memorize the looks of the Ryoka, one captain was feeling strange in looking at one of the pictures.

' _He seems familiar_ ' wondered Isshin.

"With the report given by both captains Suì-Fēng and Mayuri Kurotsuchi, we have a basic outline of who the Ryoka are. A more detailed report will be sent your quarters after the meeting" said Yamamoto "As for our next move, we will be sending search parties to the lower districts of the West Rukongai. I want officers from Divisions Five, Six, Ten, and Eleven to find and bring back the Ryoka alive. Understood?"

"Yes Captain-Commander!"

* * *

A/N: Thoughts on the chapter? Leave a review.


	3. Chapter 3 - Patience

**Disclaimer** : Do not own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo.

(12/30/2018)

 **Chapter 3 - Patience**

* * *

When one first arrives to the Soul Society, the first thing they will ask is what is where are they?

Usually, the inhabitants will answer that they are in the Soul Society, the afterlife if you will. When that answered, the second thing they will ask is what are those building in the distance and why do they look nicer compared to where they are currently at? The answer? The nicer buildings are located in an impenetrable fortress known as the Seireitei; home to the Shinigami and the Five Great Noble Clans. To the citizens of the Rukongai and those inside the Seireitei, the fortress is seen as a symbol of strength and might of the Shinigami that has stood in watch of the balance between life and death for countless centuries.

But for few, it is seen as a symbol of despair. That is what Rukia Kuchiki saw as she is imprisoned at the large white tower in the center of the Seireitei known as the Senzaikyū. It has only been a day since she was transferred to the tower but it feels like she has been here forever. Unfortunately, it won't be like that for long. Not too long ago, from what she was told by Renji Abarai; the lieutenant of the Sixth Division and childhood friend, she will soon face execution in less than fourteen days upon the Sōkyoku Hill. If that wasn't enough, Abarai informed her of the attempted infiltration by a group of five individuals. It consisted of two females; one with orange haired and the other with spiky hair, and three males; a tall tanned man, young man wearing all white and glasses, and an orange haired man wearing all black.

She immediately recognized the group that tried to break in. Tatsuki, Orihime, Uryū, and Sado. The people she bonded with in Karakura are here trying to save her. She didn't know if she should be angry for them trying to do something so stupid or happy that they are trying to save her. She missed them so much since she was forced to leave the World of the Living. Tatsuki's brash attitude and talk of being the second strongest female fighter in Japan, Orihime's unusual cooking and wild imagination, Uryū's strictness, Sado's quiet personality, and the orange haired guy…wait a minute?

Orange haired guy? Wearing all black? She didn't remember anyone by that description. But before she could form any thought on who the last person might be, the sound of the door opening was heard. She focused her attention to the entrance to her cell as she watched the doors open. Her demeanor changed from nothing to shock when she saw who was entering her cell.

"Hey Rukia!"

Standing at the entrance was him. The only man who has treated her like a regular person rather than a delicate noble during her time serving the Gotei 13. It was her mentor. The man who changed her life.

"Lieutenant Shiba!" exclaimed Rukia.

Kaien Shiba; lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division and noble of the Shiba clan, stood at the entrance with a bentō on his hand and a sad smile on his face.

"I would have come sooner but there was a lot of paperwork I had to do and some other stuff I forgot," said Kaien as he approached Rukia and sat by her side "I brought you a little something to eat. Miyako made it for you. She made sure to bring you only your favorites; rice dumplings, boiled eggs, and lit bit of cucumber. Hope you like it."

He put the bentō on her lap to which Rukia quickly grabbed it but did not open it. Kaien noticed it and frowned. He knew what she was trying to do and he wasn't going to allow it. He was going to be here for her no matter what.

"Do you remember the first few weeks at the Thirteenth Division?" asked Kaien.

Rukia didn't respond. That was okay for him though. He knew she was listening to him.

"You came into the barracks, ready to do your duty for your captain and lieutenant," said Kaien as he was reminiscing of the past "But despite your willingness to serve, you always had that depressed look. If it wasn't because you couldn't impress your brother then it was the other squad members talking smack behind your back. It took a lot of effort but eventually you started to break out of your shell and started to interact with me and the other members of our division. Everyone loved you because you were always kind to them and told them that it was an honor fighting alongside them."

He paused for a moment to look at Rukia. When he did, she was facing down at the bentō that was given to her. Her entire body was trembling and her hair was obscuring any sight of her face.

"I know you have given up any hope to be released," said Kaien "But I promise you this, I will make sure that you get out of this with no harm. You will be back in our division soon and we'll throw a big party for your return."

Immediately after he said that, a pair of delicate arms wrapped around his upper body. He looked down to see Rukia hugging him tightly with the sound of crying being muffled due burying her face in his shihakusho. Kaien couldn't help but smile as he gently patted her head as she continued to cry and hug him even harder.

* * *

 **Somewhere in the West Rukongai**

"I want teams one, two, three, and four in the first four districts in the West Rukongai searching for the Ryoka!" ordered the tattooed-covered Shinigami, Renji Abarai. "Contact me if you find them or anything important! Understood?!"

The team leaders of each of the said teams nodded and went quickly to their perspectives teams to relay the orders given to them by their commanding officer. News of the Ryoka spread very quickly once Renji and the other lieutenants were informed of the situation, along with their captains. Apparently, the Ryoka attempted to go through the White Road Gate but were scared off by Jidanbo. Though skeptical, he and the other lieutenants were then informed by their captains that they were to send search parties from the Divisions Five, Six, Ten, and Eleven to find the Ryoka and question them on their motives.

The ones assigned to overlook search for the Ryoka were him and the lieutenants of Divisions Five, Ten, and Eleven. But since the lieutenant of the Eleventh Division was a bit occupied, they sent the 3rd and 5th officers instead. Thank the Soul King he was getting Ikkaku and Yumichika instead than the small pink-haired lieutenant!

He shook his head quickly, not wanting to get any more stressed than he already was. He had a job to do. He focused his attention on his surroundings, watching one of the officers from his division leading his team in going to each residence to see if there was any Ryoka present. After making sure they were following procedure, he went to go meet with the other lieutenants and officers in charge of the search operation. As walked toward the meeting location, he couldn't help but think of the Ryoka being here.

While the captains were thinking on the motives of the Ryoka being here, he already knew why. They were here to save Rukia. Plain and simple. When they were given images of the Ryoka, he immediately recognized the spiky-haired Ryoka girl. The bitch was responsible for Rukia's imprisonment! She is the reason why he was forced to arrest her! What reason does she have for coming here! With so much confusion going through his head, he needed to stay focus in this mission.

"Hey Renji!"

He focused his attention and realized that he has arrived to the meeting destination. Present, he saw the curvaceous, free-spirited 3rd seat officer of the Tenth Division, Rangiku Matsumoto, standing alongside the easy-going, friendly lieutenant of the Fifth Division, Momo Hinamori, and the two who sent from the Eleventh Division; the bald, fight-loving 3rd seat officer Ikkaku Madarame and the flamboyant 5th seat officer Yumichika Ayasegawa, instead of the pink-haired ball of energy.

"Took you long enough you bastard," said Ikkaku "We've been waiting here forever!"

"Please don't fight! We still have a job to do!" said Momo.

"Momo is right. So please stop exaggerating Ikkaku. It's very ugly when it comes from you." said Yumichika.

Ikkaku simply grunted in response before directing his attention back to Renji.

"Have you started doing your sweep on the west side of the Rukongai?" Ikkaku asked.

"Already have my squad members searching the first four districts," replied Renji "How about you guys?"

"Nothing on the east side for us," answered Ikkaku with Yumichika nodding in the background.

"Nothing to report as of yet," responded Momo.

"Same here!" reported Rangiku cheerfully.

"Why do you have to sound so cheerful when we're looking for the Ryoka?" asked Renji "Can you at least try and sound professional."

"Oh lighten up!" said Rangiku "We aren't doing the grunt work so we should at least take this time to relax!"

"Not on my watch Matsumoto!"

"Eeeep!" yelped Rangiku.

Everyone present turned their attention to the person standing behind a startled Matsumoto. Behind her stood the serious, short white-haired Tōshirō Hitsugaya, the lieutenant of the Tenth Division.

"Don't sneak up on me like that Tōshirō!" yelled Rangiku. "You could have given me a heart attack!"

"Shut up Matsumoto!" replied Tōshirō "The captain sent me watch over you in case you decide to skip out on your duties."

"Don't be so mean Shirō!" chided Momo "She wasn't going to do that."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Rangiku "I was going to do my job!"

Tōshirō didn't look convinced at all but decided not address any it further. Captain Shiba told him to keep an eye on Matsumoto and that is what he is going to do.

"Why are you here lieutenant?" asked Renji "I thought it was just going to be the five of us commanding this search operation."

"It is." replied Tōshirō "My captain told me inform you all that you will be receiving additional support in the search operation."

"Really?" said Ikkaku "Who?"

"The Onmitsukidō from the Second Division." responded Tōshirō.

Unfortunately for Tōshirō, his response was met with whining and booing.

"Are you kidding me!"

"How ugly."

"Why the fuck are they sending those silent creeps!"

"Oh great!"

"Are you serious Shirō!"

Of the three branches that serve the Soul Society, the Onmitsukidō are seen as the disturbing bunch of the Soul Society. Their ability to suppress their reiatsu till you can barely feel it and mastery of assassination in the shadows makes them the perfect agents of Central 46 - the judiciary authority of the Soul Society - to execute their will. Not only that, they're often serious and biased when it comes to speaking of the Soul Society.

"That's enough from everyone!" shouted Tōshirō, effectively silencing everyone present.

"My captain informed me that the Captain-Commander and the captain of the Second Division believed it would be more efficient for the Onmitsukidō to be involved in the search," explained Tōshirō "Lieutenant Ōmaeda will be in charge of his squadron and help you guys in the search operation."

This explanation was met with the same response as before.

"Ōmaeda!"

"Not the fatass!"

"Why!?"

Tōshirō couldn't help but groan in response. Why did they have to act like children in a time like this?

"He's not that bad you guys." said Momo "He's actually quite enjoyable to hang out with."

"Please don't to lie to them Momo," said Yumichika. "It is always ugly when someone lies."

"I'm not lying!" replied Momo "When I'm off duty, me and Ōmaeda sometimes hang out and have lunch."

"What do you to even talk about?" asked Renji.

"We discuss books we've read and things going on in our divisions." said Momo "Oh! And we talk about Weird News!"

"What's Weird News?" asked Rangiku.

"It's a weblog that focuses on urban legends from the World of the Living," explained Momo "Its covered by this female blogger that goes by the username Lady GWolf. Anyway, the stuff she covers is pretty interesting. She did a nice peace on this scary bogeyman known as the Black Huntsman; who hunts down monsters and evil men from all over the world, the supposed existence of subterranean people, the sightings of dragons in London, mysterious Nazi excavation in Japan during WWII, sightings of extraterrestrials in 1988, and all sort of sightings of strange things or rumors around the World of the Living."

"Isn't that stuff just fake?" asked Rangiku.

"I guess it is but it's still fun to talk about," said Momo.

"We getting off track here!" exclaimed Tōshirō. Everyone present turned their attention to small white-haired lieutenant who was getting pissed off for being ignored too long.

"Ōmaeda is out patrolling with his men looking for the remaining scouts that were knocked out by the Ryoka," stated Tōshirō "He will meet with you guys in exactly ten minutes. Behave alright. I'm going back the division barracks."

"Fine," responded everyone.

Tōshirō looked over them one last time before finally deciding to walk away to get back to his duties and let them do their jobs.

"Wait Tōshirō!"

Tōshirō turned around to see Renji approach him quickly and whispered to him the following.

"Can you ask Lieutenant Shiba to meet me in my quarters after I'm done with this?" asked Renji "It's about Rukia."

Tōshirō gave him a nod before leaving the group and heading back to the barracks of his division.

* * *

 **Meanwhile; The 5th District of the West Rukongai**

With the West Rukongai being the first location the Ryoka being spotted and with the first four districts being searched by the Sixth Division, the further districts were left to the Second Division and the Onmitsukidō. The Second Division was put in charge searching the districts on foot and in the open while the Onmitsukidō hid in the shadows paid close attention to any fidgeting or whispers connecting to the Ryoka.

Members of both the Second Division and Onmitsukidō continued to look for the Ryoka, being led by lieutenant of the Second Division and commander of the Patrol Corps of the Onmitsukidō, the wealthy arrogant, plump Marechiyo Ōmaeda.

"Anything to report so far?" asked Ōmaeda to one of the officers accompanying him.

"Not yet Lieutenant Ōmaeda," responded one of the officers. "We still have five remaining scouts who are unaccounted. With your permission, we're thinking of sending members of the Onmitsukidō to search further down the West Rukongai."

"Permission granted," replied Ōmaeda "We don't want to keep the captain waiting else she yells at us for being lazy idiots."

"Understood sir!" said the officer as he went ahead of the lieutenant to give out the new orders.

Ōmaeda sighed in frustration. He didn't like doing so much work. He had other things to do like run his side business or decide whether it's a good idea to remodel the training barracks in the Second Division. Maybe captain Suì-Fēng will lighten up on him if he did that. Sounds like a good idea. But before he can execute his idea, he needed to get this search done. He turned his attention to the other officer standing next, a brunette young who joined the division just over a year ago.

"Get me in touch with the rest of the Onmitsukidō and have them search the other three regions when their finished here." said Ōmaeda "If you find one of the Ryoka, don't engage them alone. Report to me or the ones in charge alright."

"Yes lieutenant!" exclaimed the female officer.

Unbeknownst to Ōmaeda and the rest of the search party, one of the Ryoka was hidden inside one of the buildings, a tavern, along with another. To be exact, it was Orihime Inoue sitting with Ichigo Kurosaki at one of the corners of the tavern.

"How long are we supposed to stay hidden like this?" asked Orihime "I don't think Tatsuki or Uryū can handle the wait much longer."

"Don't worry about them." said Kurosaki "That's why they went with Yoruichi. Except your tall friend. He went with that one kid but said that he would meet up with Yoruichi and the rest. We just need to stay separated and lay low for a bit until they are done searching this district."

"Is that why we're wearing these clothes?" asked Orihime.

Both Orihime and Ichigo were wearing the clothing similar to what the resident of the Rukongai. Both Ichigo and Yoruichi agreed that this was a good idea so that they wouldn't be easier to spot by the Shinigami looking for them. Though everyone seemed to agree, Uryū seemed to be a bit upset about wearing the clothing. Probably because he couldn't show off his little Quincy uniform.

"Exactly" responded Ichigo "So with Yoruichi and those two talking with the informant and the big guy hanging out with that little boy we saw, that just leaves us here sitting and relaxing."

"I guess that's alright!" said Orihime "We could get to know each other in the meantime."

This response earned her a confused expression from Ichigo before he smiled. The girl seems to be the only one who was nice to him from the group, though giant might be cool but he really hasn't had enough time to get an assessment of the big guy's personality. Well, he had an idea but he didn't want to guess. The other two teens on the other hand, Glasses and the spiky haired chick, seemed to be hostile towards. And Yoruichi…

Well...that's something he rather not mention.

"I guess we can talk to get to know each other a bit more," said Ichigo "What do you want to talk about?"

"How do you know Yoruichi?" asked Orihime.

Unfortunately, he wasn't going to get his way.

"It was a long time ago," said Ichigo, smiling as he was beginning to reminisce about the past "When she and her companions first arrived in the World of the Living, they didn't have nowhere to go or any idea on how to live in the current time. Luckily for them, we came across each other and I was able to lend them a hand in money and among other things."

"How long ago was that?" asked Orihime.

"Around the start of the twentieth century I believe," said Ichigo "Since then, whenever they needed finances, Yoruichi was usually the one willing to come with me and do the jobs that I do to support herself and the others."

He looked at the girl in front of her and noticed a shocked expression on her face. Was something wrong?

"Is everything okay?" asked Ichigo.

"How old are you?" asked Orihime in response.

"I'm about two hundred eighty-nine years old," said Ichigo. "A little close to three hundred."

"Wow!" exclaimed Orihime "You're three hundred years old!"

Ichigo didn't understand what the big deal was until he realized that Yoruichi must have not told them much about him. Probably thought that his influence would be a bad one for them.

"Two hundred eighty-nine." corrected Ichigo "And it's not a big deal. Yoruichi is like twice my age and she looks like she's in her mid-twenties."

His response also earned him a surprised expression, though for a different reason.

"She!?"

"I guess this is something else she didn't tell you," said Ichigo.

"But Yoruichi is a man right? A cat? A man-cat?" said Orihime "He has a man's voice!"

"That's just her feline transformation," responded Ichigo. "You didn't think that the cat was actually Yoruichi? It's impossible for a normal cat to talk in human speech."

"Sorry." said Orihime as she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment "Yoruichi didn't really tell us much about herself since it was just about training with me and Chad."

"There's no reason to apologize." said Ichigo "Besides, Yoruichi isn't much of a conversationalist when it comes to training."

"You're right," said Orihime.

"But that's enough about Yoruichi." said Ichigo "Let's talk about you Orihime."

"Me?" asked Orihime nervously.

"Yeah, you," said Ichigo "You're the only person in this tavern by the name of Orihime right?"

"I don't know if that's okay," replied Orihime nervously, a bit of sweat starting to form. "You only told me your age."

"Fine," said Ichigo "What else would you like to know?"

Orihime adopted a thinking expression with her finger on her chin. The girl looked pretty cute doing that when she did that.

"You said that Yoruichi did jobs with you right?" Orihime asked "What were those jobs?

"Well," said Ichigo "I guess you can say that I do a bit of freelancing to whoever is in need of my services."

"I don't follow," said Orihime with a confused expression on her face.

"It's not that complicated when you get down to it," said Ichigo "Say you needed to find someone and you have no idea where to look. Well, if you're in luck, you would contact someone like me and have me go find that certain someone for you. Or it could be something valuable. Your choice."

"So you do odd jobs," said Orihime "Like Miss Unigaya!"

"Miss Unigaya?" said Ichigo with a confused expression on his face.

"She's the owner of the Unigaya shop in Karakura and specializes in doing odd jobs for people," said Orihime "Though she doesn't sell anything relating to eel. I called her one time because I thought she sold eel and I wanted to make a cake with eel, she hanged up on me."

"Weird," said Ichigo "But back to what you were saying earlier, I guess you can relate my work to doing odd jobs like this Unigaya person."

He saw the facial expression of Orihime shift from confusion to understanding. However, he was sure she didn't understand too much of what he does for work. That was good. Better to leave it that way than for her to actually know what he does.

"Is there anything else you want to ask me about?" asked Ichigo.

For a moment, the girl took a moment and thought what she wanted to say next. Her face was bit scrunched up as if she was thinking long and hard what she was going to ask.

"I know!" blurted out Orihime "What do you do for fun?"

"Fun?" asked Ichigo before adopting a thinking expression. "Let's see, when I'm not working, I travel around the world. I enjoy reading fairy tales and Shakespeare. Spend my time stargazing when I'm not busy with traveling. Getting to know lots of interesting people is always fun. That's about it I guess."

"Wow!" said Orihime "Your life sounds amazing!"

"Thanks," said Ichigo, feeling a bit happy from the compliment. "I'm sure you will get your chance to meet lots of people and travel the world."

"Thanks Kurosaki!" said Orihime cheerfully with a big smile on her face.

"Call me Ichigo," he said in response before giving the girl a smile.

From there, they discussed more in detail about their lives. Ichigo tells Orihime about his travels across the world, such as the United States and London being his favorite places, the famous people he has met like the female lead from the classic movie _Mad Doctor and Zombie Star_ and the famous spirit medium Don Kanonji _,_ and all the food he gets to eat. He also gave her some advice such as investing in the stock market with Jungle Inc., Moogle, and Noved Corporation.

After Ichigo told her a little about himself and financial advice, Orihime proceeded to tell him about her life in school, her best friend Tatsuki and her other friends in school, her favorite foods, and a bit about her childhood.

"So how did you get roped into this whole spirits thing?" asked Ichigo.

"Well I got involved because Tatsuki was involved because of Rukia," responded Orihime "After a while, there was an incident at my school in which a Hollow was forcing my friends to fight each other and that was when it happened."

"What happened?" asked Ichigo.

"I unlocked my superpower!" said Orihime proudly.

"Your superpower?" asked Ichigo.

"Yup!" responded Orihime cheerfully "The power to summon fairies!"

Ichigo's expression went from enjoyment from the confusion to just confused.

"Fairies?" he asked.

"Yeah fairies!" she said "Do you want to see them!?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," said Ichigo "Maybe another time."

Orihime simply smiled in response which caused Ichigo to smile as well. This girl seemed a bit ditsy but she was alright. Her and Tatsuki seemed to be really close friends, almost to the point of being sisters, and her relationship with the big guy and the lanky guy with glasses seemed normal.

"I see you two are getting along,"

Both Orihime and Ichigo glanced to the side and see Tatsuki and Uryū, wearing similar clothes as them, approaching them with serious expressions on their faces.

"Where's Yoruichi?" asked Ichigo, noticing that she wasn't with the two teens.

"She went looking for Chad," answered Uryū "What have two been up to?"

"Just having a conversation," responded Ichigo "Orihime just wanted to know a little bit about me."

Tatsuki looked at Orihime with an unsure expression while Uryū locked eyes with Ichigo, who had an amused expression on his face while Uryū's face was still serious.

"What did you find out Hime?" asked Tatsuki.

"Ichigo is a really cool guy!" said Orihime, her face beaming with her smile "He's like a secret agent! Traveling around the world and looking for missing people to be found!"

"Really?" said Tatsuki with an expression that said that she was not believing anything he was saying.

When she turned to look at the guy with the same color hair as Orihime, she got infuriated when she saw his face having a teasing smile towards her. She did not want Orihime talking to this guy. Her hands balled into fists and wanted nothing more to punch his stupid face, maybe knock some teeth out if she's lucky. Unfortunately for her, Uryū stepped in to intervene.

"Yoruichi is waiting for us outside with Chad," said Uryū "She has news on how to get inside the Seireitei."

"Alright," said Ichigo as he and Orihime stood up from their seats "Let us get moving."

The four proceeded to exit the tavern and stood outside the front to see Yoruichi, in her cat form, standing on Chad's shoulder. The cat jumped down from the giant's shoulder and calmly approached the four to see if everything was alright.

"Everything okay?" asked Yoruichi.

"Yup," said Ichigo as he looked down at the cat "Everything seems to be in order. Apparently, you found us a way inside the Seireitei."

"I did," replied Yoruichi "We are going to meet the people who are going to get us inside the Seireitei."

"Right now?" asked Ichigo.

"Yes," responded Yoruichi "My contact will be in Hokutan, District Three of the West Rukongai. We will separate into two groups of three to meet there. Understood?"

"How will we know when we get there?" asked Chad, who's been standing in the background silently up until this moment.

"You'll know when we get there," said Yoruichi.

"Since we have that covered," said Ichigo "Who's going with who?"

"You'll be taking Uryū and Orihime," responded Yoruichi "I'll be taking Sado and Tatsuki."

"And we will meet somewhere in between the third district?" said Ichigo.

"Yes," replied Yoruichi before motioning the two teens accompanying her to get moving "We'll get there first and I'll find you."

Ichigo simply nodded in response as he watched the cat and the two accompanying her begin their journey to their destination. Once they were out of sight, Ichigo motioned for the two teens to follow him and take a different route to reach their destination.

* * *

 **With Yoruichi**

"You should've had Orihime come with us instead," said Tatsuki.

"I understand your concern but I'm certain that he will not do anything that will cross any boundaries that will cause problems," said Yoruichi "Besides, Orihime can use that time spent with to toughen up. That girl is too naive for her own good and Kurosaki is the kind of person that can help her with it."

Tatsuki didn't seem convinced which only made Yoruichi's growing headache even worse. The 'best' part is that the cause of the headache involved Kurosaki and he didn't do anything that can be considered wrong. And lets us not forget about the Shinigami officers roaming the streets of the Rukongai who are looking for them.

"What's wrong?" asked Chad.

"Nothing is wrong!" said Yoruichi.

"Bullshit," said Tatsuki to the cat before turning her attention to the giant "The problem is that the guy with us is a fucking serial killer!"

"What?" said Chad.

"He's not a serial killer," said Yoruichi in a harsh tone "I told you what he was when you and Uryū asked me about him so stop trying to demonize him else you will jeopardize this mission to rescue Rukia!"

Tatsuki didn't say anything after and simply shut her mouth. While she wanted nothing more to strangle him and that cat for endangering Orihime, she didn't want to fuck up the mission of saving Rukia. She owed everything to that girl. She saved her and Orihime. One of the few individuals in her life that she deeply cares about. She was like a sister to her and she was the only family to Hime.

"Alright," said Tatsuki "I'll calm down."

"Thank you," said Yoruichi.

"Excuse me," said Chad, gaining the attention of the two "I'm the only one who's not informed, so I would appreciate it if you would inform of what's going on."

Both Tatsuki and Yoruichi looked at one another, as if conveying dialogue with one another on who's going to answer him without saying a word. Finally, Yoruichi nodded and turned to the giant and answered him.

"I'm only going say this once so you better pay attention alright," said Yoruichi with a stern voice.

The giant simply nodded as a sign that he understood to his feline mentor.

"While you were out talking to that young boy and Kurosaki was watching over Orihime," Yoruichi explained "Me, Uryū, and Tatsuki went to meet with my contact in the West Rukongai so they can contact someone on the inside the Seireitei that would get us in. It was after meeting my contact and establishing help on the inside of the Seireitei was when Uryū started to question me about him."

Yoruichi stopped for a moment. She didn't want to complicate things more but it was already too late for that. And even if she didn't tell them, Uryū seemed like smart enough to figure it out on his own. If that happened, they would have jumped to their own conclusions about him and she didn't want that now with what they are doing.

"What did you say?" asked Chad.

Yoruichi simply stared at the giant and then at Tatsuki, who had a serious expression on her face. It was the same face she had when she began telling her and Uryū about him.

* * *

 _ **Earlier**_

"I will send word out to one of my men to contact Kūkkaku immediately to prepare her for your arrival," said the elderly man sitting in front of Yoruichi, while both Uryū and Tatsuki were waiting outside of the little hut that she is in.

"Thank you old man," said Yoruichi gratefully bowing her head "I know its been years since we have seen each other but I can't thank you enough for doing this for me."

The old man simply smiled in response. "It is my pleasure to help you once more Lady Yoruichi, regardless of the accusations that Central 46 made against you and your friends. I am happy to once more serve the Shihōin clan. The message sent should arrive in less than a day to Lady Shiba. She will be in the outskirts of Mt. Koifushi in the Hokutan District."

Yoruichi thanked the old man once more and proceeded to walk out the hut, where both Uryū and Tatsuki were patiently waiting for her.

"Did everything go well?" asked Uryū.

"It did," responded Yoruichi "If everything goes accordingly, we should be inside the Seireitei hopefully by tomorrow. Today if we are lucky."

"So I guess now we meet with the rest and wait," said Uryū.

Yoruichi simply nodded in response. "We should first find Sado and then we'll meet with where Kurosaki and Orihime are at."

"Hang on a second!" Tatsuki called out.

"What is it?" said Yoruichi, stopping any further step she might take.

"There's something I've been wanting to ask since we got here," said Tatsuki "It's about the guy you brought."

Yoruichi didn't respond immediately. But if there was any indication that she didn't want to talk about it, her body stiffening when he was mentioned was a sign.

"I don't think now is the best time to discuss about this," Yoruichi advised "We should focus on getting your friend back. That should be top priority."

"You called him a ruthless killer," said Tatsuki "What exactly does that mean?"

"It was just an insult," replied Yoruichi "Nothing more. We should get moving now bef-"

"I'm not moving unless you tell me who he is now," said Tatsuki.

"This is not the time or place to be demanding," said Yoruichi, her male voice beginning to shift from being stoic to angry "We need to get moving now else we get the attention of the Shinigami."

"I'm not moving unless you tell me who he is," said Tatsuki firmly.

Because she was in her cat form, one couldn't actually tell if she was angry or sad from cat expression. If she was in her real form, then the expression on her face would absolute livid. Does this girl not know when to take a fucking hint when someone doesn't want talk about something? What's worse is that they are outside in the open road of Rukongai and she could see the glances passed towards them. The Shinigami have already passed this area but she didn't want to risk it. She did not want to tell them everything, but a little bit will suffice for now.

"I'll tell you but first let's get moving," said Yoruichi "Like I said earlier, I don't want to attract Shinigami."

Tatsuki would have argued but a hand grasped her shoulder. She turned her head and saw that it was Uryū.

"Let's move and talk," advised Uryū "We risk less getting caught and we get to hear what Yoruichi has to say about him."

This seemed to be alright with both Yoruichi and Tatsuki. With that settled, all three of them began their journey to find Sado and then meet with Kurosaki and Orihime.

"In the past, Kurosaki and I used to work together," said Yoruichi "This was during a time when me, Kisuke, and the others had no idea how to function in the World of the Living. We needed help and didn't know where else to turn to. And just like that, he came along."

"The Kurosaki guy right?" asked Tatsuki.

"Correct," Yoruichi said "Due to some problems we faced previously, we were skeptical of him, especially Kisuke. But eventually, we decided that we could trust him and that was when we finally received help from him. Housing, money, food, false identifications, everything we needed to start a new life in the World of the Living."

"What were you doing before you met Kurosaki?" asked Uryū.

"Do you want to talk about Kurosaki or about my past?" questioned Yoruichi, a bit of anger in her tone "Because you're only getting one and that's it."

Uryū simply shut his mouth and motioned for her to continue her story.

"As I was saying," said Yoruichi "Kurosaki was there for us in our time of need and I'm forever grateful for the things he has done for us. Eventually, I wanted to repay that debt and asked him if there was anyway I can. He said there was and that was when he introduced to a world I never thought I would see."

"What was it?" asked Uryū.

"I was involved in some illegal works," Yoruichi explained "Though I only involved myself in two particular fields of illegal activity, Kurosaki was involved in almost everything. Whether it was arms trafficking or espionage, he was there. Eventually, his involvement would make up the foundations of the black market in the World of the Living after the second World War and continues to have a big presence in your world today. Even though he hasn't been involved for sometime, he's still well connected in the criminal underworld. Criminal organizations such as the Br-"

But before Yoruichi could continue on her explanation, Tatsuki; the one who asked of who Kurosaki was, took off immediately. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't able to get far. No sooner when she took fifth step, she felt a force on her back that pushed down to the ground.

"Let me go!" yelled Tatsuki, struggling to get up "I need to get Orihime away from that psychopath!"

"Listen to me carefully Tatsuki," said Yoruichi in quiet but harsh tone "If you go running right now, then the Shinigami will see you and take you in for questioning. Once they realize who you are, they will torture you for information. And if that's not convincing you, then think of what could happen if Orihime finds out. She will rush in trying to save you and Rukia only to get caught have the same thing done to you to her. Do you want that to happen?"

This seemed to stop any further sort of attempt to get up. Yoruichi knew, despite the girl's stubbornness, she understood reasoning. She understood that if she kept this going, Orihime and the other could end up in the same situation as Rukia.

"I'm calm," said Tatsuki, lifting hands from the ground as a sign that she understood.

"Good," said Yoruichi as she got off her back "We should get moving. We attracted too much attention already from the residents."

Tatsuki got up and looked around her surroundings. The residents of the Rukongai were looking at them with expressions of confusion and a bit of fear. She looked to both Yoruichi and Uryū, both giving her a look that they needed to get out of here immediately. Tatsuki simply nodded as all three made run for it before the Shinigami arrived.

* * *

 _ **Present**_

"And that's basically it," said Yoruichi.

She looked at Chad and was relieved that he didn't have that look of unsettled surprised like Uryū or Tatsuki. It seemed like he and Orihime were the only ones in the group that were easy to work with.

"I do have one question though," said Chad "Why is he helping us save Rukia?"

"That answer I can't give you," responded Yoruichi "I already told you a little bit about him. Not only that, but I'm afraid the answer to your question is a bit personal for me."

The giant seem to want to press her further for more information. Instead, he simply nodded in understanding.

"I still don't trust him," said Tatsuki "Even with what little you told us about him, the guy seems sketchy."

"I understand your concerns but he means well," said Yoruichi "like I said earlier, he won't hurt Orihime or anyone in this mission and after. I will make sure if that helps."

Though she didn't say anything, her body seemed to tense down a bit. She could work with that at least thought Yoruichi. Hopefully, Uryū was interrogating Kurosaki about his past in front of Orihime. If he is going to do it, she would prefer if he did it while she wasn't there. Then again, he seems smart enough to not let his emotion get in the way so he should fine.

"Let's not waste anymore time," said Yoruichi "We don't want to keep my friend waiting for too long. Alright?"

"Yes Mister Yoruichi!"

* * *

 **Meanwhile; Unknown Location within the Soul Society**

Unbeknownst to the Captains and Lieutenants of the Gotei 13, a meeting was about to commence. This was taking place in one of Sōsuke Aizen's safe houses, one of them being within the Seireitei. This safe house in particular was his favorite because he didn't need to put much effort in its construction. He utilized the sewers that were located beneath the Gotei 13 since his first day as Shinigami and has been excellent asset for him since. Though their existence is technically known to both captains and lieutenants, they don't know how to traverse the complex maze beneath them.

The only ones that could were Mayuri Kurotsuchi, a few members of the Fourth Division, and Kisuke Urahara if he was still here today. So with a little bit of careful constructing and redesigning, with a bit of help from his Zanpakutō, he constructed one of his most secure safe houses within the Seireitei. The only ones who know about this location is himself, Gin, and Kaname. But that's doesn't matter right now. He had made sure to send Gin and Kaname away for this particular meeting. Useful they might be, but that can only last for so long. In the end, there has only be one person he can ever rely on. He was getting off track.

He turned to the monitors he had set up. Despite static being the only thing on the screens, all six monitors were up and ready. The technology used wasn't of his own design but he made sure that it was top quality and that it can't be detected by captain Kurotsuchi or anyone in the Soul Society. With the monitors running smoothly and no delay, he sat down in his chair and made himself comfortable. This meeting always go on for hours with no end.

 **[Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!]**

A bit surprised from the beeping sounds that the monitors were making, he checked to see what was the issue. Luckily, there wasn't any issue going on.

 **[Connection established with LEADERS OF THE NEW WORLD.]**

 **[LNW 1 logging on.]**

 **[LNW 2 logging on.]**

 **[LNW 3 logging on.]**

 **[LNW 4 logging on.]**

 **[LNW 6 logging on.]**

 **[LNW 7 logging on.]**

' _It's time_ ' thought Aizen.

 **[It has been a while since we last spoke LNW 5.]**

* * *

 **A/N** : Late update but this one is a bit longer. Hope you like and leave a review on your thoughts! But before I go, let's answer some reviews!

 _ **Reviews**_

 **MrMarston, gruntsbreeder, OpSmile, Itreallybelikethat, Lazymanjones96, etc.** : Thanks for taking an interest in my story! Really means a lot! Hope to see more of your reviews in the future!

 **anoyak111** : There is going to be a lot of questions you and others are going to have in the future about certain characters and you won't want to miss a moment!

 **8579** : So from what you and other readers have witnessed, there's an interesting relationship between this version of Ichigo Kurosaki and Yoruichi Shihoin. This will be an important factor in the story and bits of their past will be revealed.

 **MugetsuIchigo & Reclusive Dork**: More will be revealed if there is a connection between Ichigo and Isshin. I can promise you this though, it will be an interesting origin for Ichigo Kurosaki.

 **Etherniti** : Thanks for taking an interest in this story and glad that it caught your attention. As for your question, this story is inspired from other stories that have been made on this website (check out my favorites list) such as White, Do Me A Wrong, Five Worlds War series, The Cardinal of Sin, etc. but their not connected. This is my own creation that I've put some thought into and now wanting to make into reality.


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